National's justice spokesperson has clarified that a new policy to restrict how much judges can discount sentences could be more lenient in "extreme cases".
The party leader pushed law and order as a key campaign issue during National's annual conference over the weekend, where he promised to institute limits on judge discretion during sentencing if elected in October.
Yesterday's announcement promises to impose a 40% limit on sentence reductions.
Luxon spoke to reporters after visiting a jewellers in Auckland's Ellerslie that was robbed last year. He said today Kiwis were "over this" and "sick of this".
Currently, offenders can get discounts for early guilty pleas or for assisting the police with investigations. Luxon said that the policy was "absolutely not" intended to undermine this.
The party's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith has defended the proposals amid criticism. (Source: Breakfast)
"This is about making sure that actually, we get justice for victims, and we make sure that we get penalties that actually fit the crime."
Later National clarified with 1News that judges would be able to offer more than a 40% discount in some situations.
The party's justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said: "The maximum 40% discount will cover most eventualities, but in extreme cases, our policy allows for safeguards against clearly unjust outcomes. This could cover informants in certain circumstances."
Meanwhile, the Government has rejected National's proposed policy for more rehabilitation options for violent and sexual offending.
But Labour says the numbers don’t add up. (Source: 1News)
Speaking today, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said: "It would be difficult to see those people voluntarily taking up any courses that could actually influence the outcome of their court case."
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